Dread Delgath wrote:Sorry for the confusion, the 2nd edition PDF I referred to is the core +splat AD&D rules, 26 books all in one massive PDF*. I referred to it to compare it in size to any possible CZ PDF if that would ever come out!

After reading about Mythus in another post, and recalling Mythic Masters Magazine, I dug out the issue I have and started reading it, and discovered a very interesting fact I had forgotten...

The campaign setting world of the never-published Dangerous Journeys: Changeling game was called...

URTH!

Was this Gary simply re-using the name U(e)rth, or was this a conscious choice on his part, to use one of his previously-named worlds for the Changeling game?

We'll likely never know.

Changeling Urth is a weird science-fantasy setting. It is a parallel of Earth (of course) where science and reason overcame nationalism and religion, though psychic powers were developed. By the 21st century Urth was a veritable paradise, Luna had a massive colony, and Venuz and Marz were colonized and being terraformed. There were robots and androids and AI computers to run and work everything. They were even building a massive, multi-generational starship called the Chrysalis...

Up to this point, it sounds a lot like the prelude to Gamma World and Metamorphosis Alpha (Metamorphosis... Chrysalis... get it?). And then indeed, there was an apocalypse, only it was not an atomic war -- it was a vast cosmic cloud of radiation that engulfed the solar system, the Cataclysm!

Urth hid behind powerful shields, and left its colonies to fend for themselves. Venuz was slammed, and transformed into something resembling Gamma World, complete with mutations and psychic powers... and magic! On Luna, the robots and androids and AIs went all Skynet, and slaughtered all humans. Marz was able to survive with minimal troubles, and maintained a space-faring civilization (eventually to battle the human-hating robots and androids of Luna).

On Urth, Computer Prime, which controlled everything, went a little nuts (maybe programming, maybe radiation from insufficient shielding) and decided that the best way to preserve humanity was to separate it into small "reserves," separated out by pristine wilderness. Though it was not mentioned in the article exactly what people were like on those "reserves," I would say that each one might be a re-creation of some historical or fictional land of relatively lower level technology (power became a problem when 26 of the 36 vast solar stations in orbit were lost to the cosmic cloud, and could not be reclaimed due to Lunar and Marzian or other occupation). Let us say, perhaps, one area is like Merrie Olde England, another like ancient Egypt, still a third like Lankhmar, and another perhaps resembles the Wild West... etc. Essentially, a world of Westworlds! All maintained by disguised androids and robots...

There are still some who remember the truth and work to take down Computer Prime and its servants.

The Cataclysm occurred in 2138; it is now 2394 CE.

But that, in a nutshell, was Gary's Urth -- weird science-fiction fantasy.

I was always wondering about the plans for other settings for Dangerous Journeys.

I do find it interesting that Gary kept going back to the concepts of worlds being named Urth, Aerth, Oerth etc even after his time with TSR. It does seem likely that he was at least on some level working with older ideas in mind?

My understanding is that the Dark Chateau is a sort of cottage near Castle Zagyg but very difficult to find. I recently obtained all the Yggsburgh/CZ books that were published and yes, they do go for a dear price... well worth it though if you are an OSR fan.

You also might want an "Owerth" entry for Rob Kuntz world he intended to be in OD&D Supplement 4. The El Raja Key Archive says, "The global maps here show the entire globe and all of the continents and major islands of the new World of Kalibruhn (the planet itself being alternately called Kuhn and Owerth over the years)." That's neat that he developed a map of his globe while Greyhawk's still isn't definitively defined and it's original author is now deceased.